Wednesday, January 30, 2008

A VAST STORE OF ENERGY

A VAST STORE OF ENERGY

There is a vast store of energy which is not centered, which is not
ego's energy at all. It is this energy which is the centerless dance
of phenomena, the universe interpenetrating and making love to
itself. It has two characteristics: a fire quality of warmth and a
tendency to flow in a particular pattern, in the same way in which
fire contains a spark as well as the air which directs the spark. And
this energy is always ongoing, whether or not it is seen through the
confused filter of ego. It cannot be destroyed or interrupted at all.
It is like the ever-burning sun. It consumes everything to the point
where it allows no room for doubt or manipulation.

From "Love," in THE MYTH OF FREEDOM and the Way of Meditation, page
109. Shambhala Library edition.

All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used
by permission.

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Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
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Monday, January 14, 2008

BUDDHAHOOD AND EMPTINESS

The final stage of buddha, the experience of buddhahood or total wakefulness, cannot exist without the background of shunyata, or emptiness. You cannot perceive form and you cannot attain enlightenment unless you are able to see that form also contains space. And you cannot attain an ultimate understanding of energy or vibration or musical sound unless you begin to see that music also contains silence. Energy contains action as well as nonaction. Both are levels of energy....In the end, in the final experience of shunyata, of emptiness or openness, form is a state of basic existence, in which there is no distortion of any kind whatsoever. Basic existence is not influenced by primitive emotions or primitive beliefs. Everything is seen clearly, precisely, right on the point.

From "Fruition," in GLIMPSES OF SHUNYATA, page 57.

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Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
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Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Ceaseless Space

The concept of shunyata or emptiness is ceaseless space, like the analogy of outer space which never ends. In some sense, the shunyata principle, or the principle of emptiness and openness, could be called a goal. In the sense of going from imperfection to perfection it could be called a goal. But it is not really a definite goal in the sense of achievement or a peak experience in which the student stops. In other words, the all-pervading quality of emptiness or shunyata provides tremendous room to expand constantly. From that point of view, achievement is the beginning point of another odyssey. The energy of compassion and of prajna, or knowledge, constantly goes on.

From "Fruition," in GLIMPSES OF SHUNYATA, page 52.

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Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
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Sunday, January 06, 2008

BUDDHISTS DON'T CON YOU

Student: You often criticize a film by saying that it is too aware of the audience. But when people make films, especially in the West, the point is to entertain people.

Chogyam Trungpa: If you are completely confident in yourself, you don't have to think about the audience at all. You just do your thing, you just do it properly. This means YOU become the audience. What you make is entertainment, but that needs a certain amount of wisdom. When an artist does a painting for commission, there is a good likelihood that his painting will be one-sided because he is aware of the audience and he has to relate to the educational standards of the audience. If he presents his own style without reference to the audience, they will begin to react and automatically their sophistication will develop and eventually will reach the level of the artist....You see, we have the responsibility of raising the mentality of the audience. People might have to reach out with a certain amount of strain, but it's worth it. The whole civilization then begins to raise its level of sophistication....The beautiful thing about Buddhism, if I may say so, is that Buddhists don't try to con you. They just present what they have to say as it is, take it or leave it.

From "Visual Dharma: Film Workshop," in the COLLECTED WORKS OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Volume Seven, pages 644-645.

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Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
TO SUBSCRIBE visit the Chogyam Trungpa website by clicking on the following link: http://OceanofDharma.com